Gemotions

"Almost there," Emily muttered, forcing herself to focus on the final paragraph of her essay. She was slumped against the hard wooden chair, fighting the urge to lean her head against the cool glass of the window. The words seemed to be playing tricks on her, dancing across the screen. Her eyes felt like they had sand in them.

A sudden ping from her laptop interrupted her train of thought. Another campus-wide email, probably about some inane club activity. But the subject line caught her attention: "Important Announcement Regarding University Operations." She clicked, and the words blurred. The university… closing?

The blood roared in her ears, her hands starting to shake. She straightened up in her chair. The room around her, once familiar, seemed to distort, to shrink. She took a deep breath, trying to process the information, but her mind felt sluggish, unable to grasp the magnitude of the situation.